Marker buoys are currently known and used. Marker buoys may serve as a warning for marine vessels to steer clear of a particular area. For instance, marker buoys are known to have flags which may indicate the presence of a diver so as to deter a marine vessel from approaching the area and interfering with the ascent of a diver. They are also used to mark fishing locations after a fishing area has been found so that the fisherman can return to a fishing location where he has been successful.
Marker buoys are known which include an anchor. The anchors are connected to the buoy via a line which may be wound onto a spool. The spools are generally cylindrical in plan view so as to wind the line in a circumferential manner. The weight of the anchor unravels the line from the spool. The spool may be exposed to the currents when the marker buoy is deployed, or may be contained within a housing.
In another embodiment of a prior art marker buoy having a self-deploying anchor the buoy includes a handle mechanically attached to the spool so as to permit cranking of the spool and bring up the anchor. The spool is mechanically attached to a gear mechanism configured to allow the spool to freely rotate in one direction so as to allow for the deployment of the anchor via gravity when the handle is released.
However, heretofore buoys with self-deploying anchors have been constructed such that the line may become tangled during the deployment as a result of the water currents and surface waves. Accordingly, it remains desirable to have a marker buoy having a self-deploying anchor wherein the line is held in a position to facilitate the free deployment of the anchor without having the line becoming tangled due to the effects of current and waves. Further it remains desirable to have a portable marker buoy with a self-deploying anchor which may be easily retrieved without the use of a hand operated crank handle.
Also such marker buoys of the prior art are unduly complicated in their construction and assembly.